Whumptober 2019 - 05 - Gunpoint
by DinerGuy
Summary: 2018 reboot. Oddly enough, when the first bullet slammed into him, driving the air from his lungs with a pained gasp and causing him to stagger backward, the only thought that ran through Magnum's mind was, 'I really did not see today going like this.'


_A/N: __Standard disclaimers apply._

* * *

Oddly enough, when the first bullet slammed into him, driving the air from his lungs with a pained gasp and causing him to stagger backward, the only thought that ran through Magnum's mind was, _'I really did not see today going like this.'_

And then the second shot glanced across his arm and buried itself somewhere in the wall behind him, and his knees buckled as white-hot tendrils of agony started to blossom and spread through his side and up his back. He reached out a shaky hand to steady himself against the wall but somehow missed and toppled rather ungracefully to the floor.

He heard his name being yelled as if from a distance, but it was just so hard to concentrate on anything past the blaring of the alarm and the agonizing pain coursing through him…

* * *

They were waiting for T.C. and Higgins to meet them at Island Hoppers when it happened.

Magnum had a theory about a current investigation, and Katsumoto had somehow decided to humor him, although a P.I.'s hunch wasn't enough to justify being allowed to take a police chopper up to check it out. So, naturally, Magnum had talked T.C. into taking them up instead.

After all, his friend had already told him off-handedly that the few tours booked for that afternoon had been canceled because of high winds, which meant the Island Hoppers helicopter was free. And since the winds were now unexpectedly dying down, it was a no-brainer solution.

T.C. had grudgingly agreed to assist with the case and had told Magnum he'd meet them at the office, so Magnum, Higgins, and Katsumoto had headed over. They'd arrived to find Rick already inside, feet up on the desk as he'd grinned widely at them.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Rick had chirped in greeting. "T.C. said he'd be right back; he needed to gas up the van, and we figured it'd take you a while to get here anyway."

And then T.C. had called because he'd hit a pothole on his way back, and, funnily enough, his spare was out of commission because _somebody_ had borrowed the van a few days before and forgotten to tell him the extra tire had accidentally been punctured in a gunfight. To be fair, Magnum didn't actually realize it had been until T.C. very frustratedly informed him of it over the phone, so he hadn't actually been able to tell his friend about it beforehand, no matter if Rick and T.C. were currently ganging up on him to lecture him about the responsible borrowing of vehicles.

That had all led to Higgins exchanging a roll of her eyes with Katsumoto, sighing, and announcing, "For goodness' sake, I'll just go get him."

A few minutes after she'd left, Katsumoto had stepped out back to take a call—and that's when two masked men had stormed inside and started waving guns around.

"Which one of you is the pilot?" the taller of the men had demanded.

Rick and Magnum had glanced at each other, wondering how far the truth would get them. It was obvious they weren't going to be able to rush the new arrivals, not with the way the men were so far out of arms' reach.

Their silence had not been taken well by the gunmen.

"He asked you a question!" the other man had yelled. "One of you is getting us out of here in that bird. Now which one of you can fly it?"

Magnum had cleared his throat then. "Well, see, you guys have really bad timing because neither of us actually work here."

"What?" the first had snapped.

"What I said." Magnum had shrugged casually. "It turns out we're actually here waiting on the guy who can fly the helicopter to take _us_ up, so you two seem to be out of luck."

That had seemed to set the gunmen back a step in surprise, and the shorter one had growled in frustration as he'd looked at his friend.

"You said this was a foolproof plan!" he'd snapped. "And now we have _hostages _and no pilot! We gotta get off this island before the cops close in on us, not get in deeper trouble!"

While the men had continued to argue between themselves, Magnum had looked back to Rick, whose expression had told him they were both thinking the same thing: they just had to stall until help arrived. Katsumoto would see what was happening before long and call in reinforcements; it was just a matter of waiting. Magnum had also found himself hoping Higgins and T.C. had hit traffic so they wouldn't walk into the middle of a very volatile situation.

"I say we just shoot them and be done with it!" the shorter man had exclaimed. "They ain't the pilot, so we don't need them, and we can't risk witnesses."

But there had been no time to dwell on the threat before the purr of the Ferrari's engine had come through the window. Magnum's stomach had clenched as he'd desperately searched for a way to warn the others. Then the ignition had cut off and laughter had drifted inside.

"That better be the pilot!" Shorty had snapped again. "Or else I'm shooting whoever it is because we don't have time for this." He'd sounded frustrated and angry and desperate—not a good combination for a criminal currently holding a large gun.

A desperate thought had flashed through Magnum's mind then. He knew T.C. would agree to take the men up if it meant saving the others' lives—if the bad guys even left any of them alive—but he also knew these apparent fugitives seemed like the type to kill T.C. as soon as they were safely clear of Oahu. Then there was also the matter of leaving witnesses behind, which didn't seem like something these guys would want to do, even if they were wearing masks.

As he'd cast about for an idea that would help him distract the men, his eyes landed on the fire alarm mounted to the wall just a few feet to his left. It was risky, but so was doing nothing. It definitely wasn't his best idea ever, but he'd had no time to come up with anything else, and so he'd just gone for it.

Magnum had taken a deep breath and then bolted for the small red box. His fingers had closed around the handle as he'd heard a yell from behind him, and then he'd yanked it down even as he'd ducked and spun to try to avoid any bullets that had started flying.

As the alarm had begun blaring overhead, Magnum had heard the report of a gunshot—just before the bullet had slammed into his lower side and sent him staggering back to hit the wall.

* * *

Rick watched in horrified disbelief as the shorter gunman swung and fired in Thomas's direction—not once, but twice.

His friend had moved quickly in an attempt to evade the shots he must have known were coming, but he hadn't succeeded. Rick only hoped it was enough to avoid fatal injury, but the blood now spattered on the wall where Thomas had been standing just a moment before was the furthest thing from encouraging.

"Thomas!" he exclaimed, starting forward instinctively to try to help his friend. He froze as the short, angry gunman turned on him.

"Don't move!"

Worry clenched at Rick's stomach as he looked back at where Thomas was crumpled on the floor, hands on his side even as blood was already leaking between his fingers and pouring from his arm. "You shot him!" he yelled back, gesturing to his friend. "The least you can let me do is check on him!"

The taller gunman didn't seem so sure about the situation any longer, based on the way he kept shifting from side to side, but he didn't say anything as his buddy continued to glare at Rick.

"And I'm gonna shoot _you _next if you don't shut up!"

The fire alarm was doing nothing to help the situation, and Rick's head was already pounding from the combination of the wailing alarm and the accompanying, pulsating white light that continued to strobe the room.

"Look, man," Rick tried again, keeping his hands raised. "What am I going to do to you? I can clearly see you mean business, and I wouldn't dream of trying to take either of you down. I'm not that crazy." He looked from the man to Thomas and back again. "I just want to make sure my friend's okay, all right?"

"What's it gonna hurt?" the tall gunman finally spoke up. "They're not going anywhere, and we're gonna need leverage at this point."

"Exactly!" Rick seized on the opening. "And what kind of reputation is it going to give you when the cops show up if you already have one dead hostage on your hands?" He only hoped it was a theoretical question, although his heart sank even more as he looked back to see the blood now pooling under Thomas. Even from where Rick stood, he could also see the pain creasing his friend's face and the way Thomas's eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and Rick felt anger rising at the two men standing in front of him.

Shorty rubbed at his temple and let out a growl of frustration, and Rick felt satisfaction at the fact that Thomas's attempt at distracting the men seemed to have done its job.

"Nobody's going anywhere!" Shorty barked, pointing his gun at Rick now. "You're gonna get us out of here," he said threateningly.

Rick blinked. "But, I—"

"I don't care. You're gonna be our insurance the cops don't stop us." He waved his weapon to gesture toward the door. "Get moving."

Shaking his head, Rick looked back at Thomas. His friend looked like he was trying to get to his feet, but he was panting in exertion, and Rick clenched his jaw at the paleness of Thomas's face.

"Or do you want me to shoot him again?" Shorty demanded.

Rick's breath caught in his throat. He didn't doubt the man would follow through on the threat. "No… no, I'm going."

Smiling in cold satisfaction, the guy nodded. "That's more like it."

The gun had just moved from pointing at Thomas to back at Rick when the front and back doors flew open in tandem.

* * *

Everything was tinted by the pain coloring his vision. Above him, Magnum could just make out the shadowy forms of the masked men who'd taken over Island Hoppers and Rick, who was across the room and seemed to be arguing with them.

Magnum wanted to get to his feet, to help Rick rush the guys—they could totally take the two gunmen if they worked together, right?—to gain control over the situation, but he just couldn't make himself move. When he tried to pull his legs underneath him, he felt so weak and shaky and lightheaded…

And then there was a sharp, sudden noise that made him jump in surprise. It sounded like a gunshot, and the thought that the men had decided to shoot Rick too flashed into his mind. His eyes sprang open at the realization, and he tried to push to his feet. He couldn't let them hurt Rick—

_"Thomas?"_

The voice floated through the darkness, and he paused. When had he closed his eyes again?

_"Hey, come on, buddy. Wake up."_

He wanted to respond, wanted to blink his eyes open and reassure whoever it was that he was okay, but his eyelids felt so heavy…

Someone patted his cheek, and he flinched.

"I think he's waking up!" someone announced, and the voice sounded clearer than when it had drifted to him a few moments before.

But, as the sound of his surroundings came back to him, so did the pain, and he gasped as it flared back through what felt like every part of his body.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Rick's voice reached his ears. "Come on; open your eyes for me."

Magnum groaned, but he managed to blink heavily so he was squinting up at Rick. Panting, he couldn't bring himself to say anything in response, but he could at least now see his friend looking down at him worriedly. But, wait, if Rick was _there, _did that mean—

And then it felt like fire had erupted in his side, and a cry was torn from his throat as his back arched against it. His hands went to his side instinctively, where they bumped against something firm pressing down.

"Sorry, sorry!" Rick apologized quickly, the words sounding like they were caught on something in his throat. "Hey, I have to stop the bleeding, okay?"

Magnum sank back against the floor, exhausted even as the pain continued to ricochet through him. He could feel the sweat beading on his brow, and he coughed, a low, raspy sound, even as he continued panting.

His eyes started drifting closed on their own, only to be pulled open again as Rick called his name.

"Thomas, hey, come on, man. You can't fall asleep right now."

Making a face of protest, Magnum groaned as the pressure on his side increased again.

"The ambulance is on its way," Rick told him, leaning over to look him in the eye. "You just gotta stay with me a little longer, okay?"

He didn't really want to, but he knew his friend was right. Taking as deep a breath as he dared, Magnum coughed again and then tried to concentrate on Rick's face. "Wh… what happened?" He managed to breathe out the question.

"T.C. came through the front door and distracted the gunmen so Katsumoto and Higgins could burst in the back and take them out," Rick provided.

Rick shifted something in his hands, and Magnum felt the pressure against his side lift and then resume in a way that sent stars dancing across his field of sight and had him gasping for air again. His friend bit his lip and turned to glance over his shoulder.

Just then, the sound of sirens reached Magnum's ears, and the interior of the Island Hoppers office lit up in flashes of red and blue. Magnum swallowed, coughing again at the motion. But, in addition to the pain, relief washed through him now.

Everything had turned out okay—well, all things considered, anyway—and help was here. He winced as Rick moved beside him and then relaxed a little more. He'd have to thank the others later, once he was patched up and on pain meds. For now, though, just knowing everyone was okay was enough.

* * *

_Fin._


End file.
